Stalwart Wall · Golden Lotus

Time slipped quietly by amid day-after-day of grueling training and observation. Only four months remained until the tournament.

Li Xuansheng's gaze finally passed over the distinctive candidates and settled on someone who might not have been dazzling, but was exceptionally dependable—Li Huajun.

Eighteen years old, level fifty-nine defensive Battle Soul King. Martial Soul: Profound Phoenix Shield.

This young man was among this year's graduates. His Soul Power was solid, and his temperament steady. According to the academy's records, he was not among the most gifted, yet he was always the person who put his team most at ease. His Profound Phoenix Shield Martial Soul had evolved from the family's Sky Phoenix Halberd, but had taken a purely defensive path. The shield's surface was engraved with dark-gold phoenix patterns, and it was said that once activated, its defensive power was astonishing.

Li Xuansheng had observed him more than ten times. In the arena, Li Huajun never rushed in recklessly. He always stood firmly at the very front of the team, using that heavy shield to block the storm of attacks for the teammates behind him. His soul skills were also plain and practical: shield enhancement, aggro attraction, area taunt, damage-reduction aura... There were no flashy attacks, yet he embodied the word "protection" to the fullest.

More importantly, Li Xuansheng had noticed that Li Huajun possessed an extraordinary grasp of the bigger picture during team coordination. He could always sharply detect which teammate faced the greatest threat and respond in time. For a defensive Soul Master, that awareness was even more valuable than sheer strength.

"Our current lineup," Li Xuansheng said to Li Yuanqi after another review, "has sharp offense, varied control, top-tier support, and decent mobility. But we lack a 'sturdy shield' capable of withstanding every impact on the front line.